MUTTS HARMONY

Artist Statement:

My current practice explores the contentious separation between humanity and nature. That line of separation is both a metaphorical and a physical barrier that humanity has put up to section itself off from the natural world. We have sought to control and have fought against the wild to raise the civilizations that we have. To what end and at what cost?

I am troubled by these questions and seek to interject thought into the discussion through the application of empirically created myths and tropes . Being aware of my place in history and cultures of the world, I use critical thought to look at these questions in as unbiased a position as I can muster. Art is a vehicle for exploring these questions, and I can use its history to engage the viewer in that search, to challenge my questions and expand on them in ways that I cannot.

My focus tends toward paints – 0il, spray and acrylic – using them in what I find to be their respective strengths in application, both physically and conceptually. Exploring these unique applications and the results is very much a part of my work.

In a nutshell, I explore my thoughts and philosophies through an evolving range of techniques. Inspired from the past and present alike. Titian and Delacroix inform, as much as Hockney and Schutz. My impetus is largely driven by this sense of exploration. Wandering around the North West forests, with my dog as a kid, and the unceasing wonder that those journeys filled me with. It is this sense of wonder that drives me to create and ask many of the questions that I pose.